System, method, and device for intelligence gathering and position tracking

ABSTRACT

A mobile communication device that may be used by an investigator to secretly record a suspect and track the investigator&#39;s location includes a microphone for detecting sounds, a communication component for transmitting signals or data representative of the sounds to one of the portable computers via the wireless communication network, a display for displaying information related to operation of the device, a computing device, and a computer program implemented by the computing device. The computer program is operable to place the device in a stealth mode in which the display is turned off or otherwise deactivated to make the entire device appear to be turned off while the microphone continues to detect sounds and the communication component continues to transmit signals or data representative of the sounds to a surveillance or support team operating one of the portable computers. The mobile communication device may also include a location-determining component for determining geographic locations of the device and for transmitting location data to the portable computer.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to systems, methods, and devices forgathering intelligence data. More particularly, embodiments of theinvention relate to a mobile communication device that may be used tosecretly record conversations of a suspect or other person and track theperson's location.

Law enforcement officers, intelligence agents, military personnel, andother investigators often engage in covert intelligence gatheringmissions during which suspects and other persons of interest aresecretly recorded with microphones and radio frequency transmitters wornby the investigators. Unfortunately, such microphones and transmittersare difficult to hide, easy to detect, and often make undesirablesounds, especially when used in the vicinity of other wirelesstransmitters and receivers.

Surveillance or support teams working with investigators also often wishto track the locations of the investigators and/or the persons beingmonitored. This requires that the investigators carry separate GPSreceivers or other devices, making it even more difficult to hide thesurveillance equipment. Use of both hidden microphones/transmitters andGPS receivers is also expensive and cumbersome.

Accordingly, there is a need for improved intelligence gathering methodsand devices.

SUMMARY

The present invention solves some of the above-described problems andprovides a distinct advance in the art of intelligence gathering methodsand devices.

Embodiments of the invention can be implemented in hardware, software,firmware, or a combination thereof. In one exemplary embodiment, theinvention is implemented with at least one mobile communication deviceoperated by an investigator or other person gathering intelligenceinformation, one or more portable computers operated by members of asupport team assisting the investigator, and one or more host computersfor storing data and other information gathered by the mobilecommunication device and the portable computers. The mobilecommunication device, portable computers, and host computers may allcommunicate and exchange data and other information via a wirelessnetwork and/or a communications network.

One embodiment of the mobile communication device comprises a microphonefor detecting sounds, a communication component for transmitting signalsor data representative of the sounds to one of the portable computersvia the wireless communication network, a display for displayinginformation related to operation of the device, a computing device, anda computer program implemented by the computing device.

In accordance with one important aspect of the invention, the computerprogram is operable to place the mobile communication device in astealth mode in which the display may be turned off or otherwisedeactivated to make the entire device appear to be turned off while themicrophone continues to detect sounds and the communication componentcontinues to transmit signals or data representative of the sounds toone of the portable computers. If the investigator or anyone elseattempts to turn the mobile communication device off while it is in thestealth mode, the computer program presents screen graphics that suggestthe device is being turned off, but the components of the devicenecessary to gather and transmit intelligence data continue to run. Thisallows an investigator and support team to secretly record a person eventhough the mobile communication device is in plain view because thedevice appears to be turned off. While in the stealth mode, the mobilecommunication device may be used to make or receive phone calls orperform other functions, in which case the display will be turned on, sothat no one but the investigator and others participating in theinvestigation will know the device is in the stealth mode or that thestealth mode even exists.

In some embodiments, the mobile communication device can only be placedin the stealth mode after the investigator enters valid user informationand an authorized member of the support team enters and transmits to thedevice valid acknowledgment information. Likewise, the stealth mode canonly be cancelled after the investigator enters valid user informationand a member of the support team enters and transmits to the devicevalid acknowledgment information. In other embodiments, the investigatorand/or the support team may be required to only enter a passcode toinitiate the stealth mode. Both embodiments permit the mobilecommunication device to be used as a conventional mobile phone while notin the stealth mode and ensure that the person being monitored cannotdisable the stealth mode.

The mobile communication device may also include a GPS receiver or otherlocation-determining component for determining geographic locations ofthe device and may transmit data representative of the geographiclocations to one of the portable computers along with the voice signalsor data. This allows the support team to track the location of theinvestigator and person being monitored even when the device is in thestealth mode.

While in the stealth mode, the mobile communication device preferablytransmits the voice data or signals and the location data using TCP/IPdata channels rather than the wireless network's voice channels. Thisallows the transmissions to be more easily encrypted and less vulnerableto interception. Importantly, the mobile communication device transmitsthe voice data or signals in real-time so the support team may monitorthe investigator's and suspect's conversations and other sounds as theyoccur. This enables the support team to immediately respond or otherwisereact to any distress signals.

In other embodiments, one of the portable computers may be programmed towirelessly transmit a gain control instruction to the mobilecommunication device, and the mobile communication device may beprogrammed to adjust a gain setting of its microphone in responsethereto. This permits a surveillance team to monitor the recording of asuspect's conversations and other sounds and to adjust the mobilecommunication device's microphone gain to compensate for backgroundnoises, the distance between the investigator and the suspect, thesuspect's voice level, and/or other factors.

The mobile communication device may also include a vibration elementthat vibrates the housing of the device in a conventional manner. One ofthe portable computers may be programmed to wirelessly transmit an alertsignal to the mobile communication device that causes the device toactivate its vibration element. The mobile communication device may beprogrammed to vibrate once in response to an alert signal that is sentwhen the support team believes the investigator is in immediate danger,twice in response to a different alert signal that is sent when thesupport team believes the intelligence gathering mission should beaborted, and three or more times in response to other alert signals.

The mobile communication device may also include resident memory forstoring the voice signals or data and the location data. This allows thedevice to “store and forward” intelligence data in the event the mobilecommunication device and portable computers cannot communicate.

The mobile communication device may also be programmed to receive andstore geographic coordinates corresponding to a geofence or otherboundary and to wirelessly transmit an alert to one of the portablecomputers whenever the device enters or exits an area encompassed by thegeofence. Similarly, the mobile communication device may be programmedto automatically switch to the stealth mode whenever the device entersor exits the area encompassed by the geofence.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, the mobile communicationdevice is a GPS-enabled “smart-phone” such as the HTC Touch Pro™ thathas been programmed to perform the functions described herein. Use of anotherwise conventional mobile phone that has been programmed inaccordance with the present invention permits law enforcement agenciesand other entities to implement intelligence gathering missions withoutpurchasing expensive stand-alone surveillance equipment.

After an intelligence gathering session has been completed, all voiceand location data gathered by the mobile communication device andportable computers is uploaded to the server computers via thecommunication network. The servers may then generate a report thatcontains an audio file of all recorded communications and other sounds,a location tracking file that contains geographical coordinates for themobile communication device during the intelligence session, theinvestigator's identification information, the exact log-in and log-outtimes for the stealth mode, and electronic signatures of theinvestigator and one or more members of the support team. Authorizedpersons may then request copies of the report in electronic form orother form. The reports may be used for any permitted purposes includingas evidence in investigations, trials, and/or other proceedings.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described in the detailed descriptionbelow. This summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspectsand advantages of the present invention will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanyingdrawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below withreference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of exemplary computer and communicationequipment that may be used to implement embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating selected components of a mobilecommunication device that may be used to implement embodiments of theinvention;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram depicting a method in accordance with anembodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram depicting a method in accordance with anotherembodiment of the invention.

The drawing figures do not limit the present invention to the specificembodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of embodiments of the inventionreferences the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are intended todescribe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable thoseskilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can beutilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of theclaims. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to betaken in a limiting sense. The scope of the present invention is definedonly by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents towhich such claims are entitled.

The present invention relates to a system, method, and device for audiointelligence gathering and position tracking. Embodiments of theinvention can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or acombination thereof. In one exemplary embodiment, the invention isimplemented with one or more computer programs and computer andcommunications equipment broadly referred to by the numeral 10 inFIG. 1. The exemplary equipment 10 may include at least one mobilecommunication device 12, one or more portable computers 14, 16, and oneor more host computers 18, 20, all of which may communicate and exchangedata and other information via a wireless network 22 and/or acommunications network 24. The computer programs and equipment 10illustrated and described herein are merely examples of programs andequipment that may be used to implement embodiments of the invention andmay be replaced with other programs and equipment without departing fromthe scope of the invention. Similarly, although FIG. 1 illustrates aparticular number of mobile communication devices, portable computers,and host computers, any number of these devices may be used withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

The mobile communication device 12 may be used by a law enforcementofficer, intelligence agent, military agent, or any other investigatorwishing to gather intelligence information concerning a suspect or othermonitored person. As used herein, “investigator” is meant to encompassany user of the mobile communication device 12, and “monitored person”and “suspect” are meant to encompass anyone being investigated and/ormonitored by the investigator.

The mobile communication device 12 may be any device that can detectvoice communications and other sounds and transmit and receive voice anddata via the wireless network 22. The mobile communication device maybe, for example, a wireless phone, a GPS-enabled wireless phone, aphone-enabled GPS device, a phone-enabled personal digital assistant(PDA), a phone-enabled MP3 device, or any other wireless communicationdevice. In one particular embodiment, the mobile communication device 12is an HTC Touch Pro™ communication device or equivalent device that hasbeen programmed as described herein. The particular mobile communicationdevice 12 and its components illustrated and described herein are merelyexamples of a device and components that may be used to implementaspects of the present invention and may be replaced with other devicesand components without departing from the scope of the presentinvention.

Key components of the mobile communication device 12 are illustrated inFIG. 2 and include a computing device 26, a microphone 28, a speaker 30,a communications component 32, a location-determining component 34, adisplay 36, memory 38, a user interface 40, a power source 42, one ormore I/O ports 44, a vibration element 46, and a housing or enclosure.

The computing device 26 may include any number of processors,controllers, integrated circuits, programmable logic devices, or othercomputing devices and resident or external memory for storing data andother information accessed and/or generated by the device. In oneembodiment, the computing device includes a Qualcomm® MSM7201A 528 MHZprocessor with 512 MB of ROM, 288 MB of RAM, and Windows Mobile® 6.1Professional Operating System. The computing device is preferablycoupled with other components of the mobile communication device throughwired or wireless connections, such as a data bus 48, to enableinformation to be exchanged between the various components.

The computing device 26 may implement a computer program and/or codesegments to perform some of the functions described herein. The computerprogram may comprise an ordered listing of executable instructions forimplementing logical functions in the computing device of the mobilecommunication device as described in more detail below.

The microphone 28 and speaker 30 are preferably built into the housingand are provided for detecting and reproducing voice communications andother sounds. As described in more detail below, the gain of themicrophone and speaker may be manually adjusted by an operator of themobile communication device or remotely adjusted by an operator of oneof the computers.

The communications component 32 enables the device to communicate withthe computers 14, 16 and other mobile phones and similar devices throughthe wireless network 22 and/or the communications network 24. Thecommunications component may transmit and receive any communicationsincluding incoming and outgoing phone calls, TCP/IP data transmissions,text messages, instant messages, voicemail messages, e-mail messages,missed phone calls, and any other known communications. Thecommunications component may communicate utilizing wireless datatransfer methods such as cellular telephony, WiFi (802.11), Wi-Max,Bluetooth™, ANT®, ultra-wideband, infrared, radio frequency, etc. In oneembodiment, the communications component is a cellular transceiver fortransmitting and receiving communications over a cellular phone networksuch as those operated by Sprint®, AT&T®, Verizon®, and other companies.

The communications component 32 may also include a Frequency Modulated(FM) receiver and may permit communications over several differentnetworks. For example, the device may be operable to transmit andreceive communications over a cellular network, a short-range FM radionetwork, and a WiFi network.

The location-determining component 34 determines locations of the device12 as it is carried or otherwise moved from place to place and generatescorresponding location data that may be transmitted to the computers orhost computers as described below. In a particular embodiment, thelocation-determining component 34 is a satellite navigation receiverthat works with a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) such as theglobal positioning system (GPS) primarily used in the United States, theGLONASS system primarily used in the Soviet Union, or the Galileo systemprimarily used in Europe. As shown in FIG. 1, a GNSS includes aplurality of satellites 50 in orbit about the Earth. The orbit of eachsatellite is not necessarily synchronous with the orbits of othersatellites and, in fact, is likely asynchronous. The satellitenavigation receiver receives spread spectrum satellite signals from thevarious satellites.

The spread spectrum signals continuously transmitted from each satellite50 utilize a highly accurate frequency standard accomplished with anextremely accurate atomic clock. Each satellite, as part of its datasignal transmission, transmits a data stream indicative of thatparticular satellite. The device 12 must acquire spread spectrumsatellite signals from at least three satellites for its receiver tocalculate its two-dimensional position by triangulation. Acquisition ofan additional signal, resulting in signals from a total of foursatellites, permits the device to calculate its three-dimensionalposition.

The location-determining component 34 and the computing device 26 areoperable to receive navigational signals from the satellites 50 and tocalculate positions of the device 12 as a function of the signals. Thelocation-determining component and computing device may also determinetrack logs or any other series of geographic coordinates correspondingto points along a road or other path traveled by the investigator orother user of the device 12. The location-determining component 34and/or the computing device may also calculate routes to desiredlocations, provide instructions to navigate to the desired locations,display maps and other information on the display screen, and executeother functions described herein.

The location-determining component 34 may include an antenna to assistin receiving the satellite signals. The antenna may be a patch antenna,a linear antenna, or any other type of antenna that can be used withnavigational devices. The antenna may be mounted directly on or in thehousing or may be mounted external to the housing.

The location-determining component 34 may include one or moreprocessors, controllers, or other computing devices and memory so thatit may calculate location and other geographic information without thecomputing device or it may utilize the components of the computingdevice. Further, the location-determining component may be integral withthe computing device such that the location-determining component may beoperable to specifically perform the various functions described herein.Thus, the computing device 26 and location-determining component can becombined or be separate or otherwise discrete elements.

Although embodiments of the mobile communication device 12 may include asatellite navigation receiver, it will be appreciated that otherlocation-determining technology may be used. For example, thecommunication component 32 may be used to determine the location of thedevice by receiving data from at least three transmitting locations andthen performing basic triangulation calculations to determine therelative position of the device with respect to the transmittinglocations. For example, cellular towers or any customized transmittingradio frequency towers can be used instead of satellites 50. With such aconfiguration, any standard geometric triangulation algorithm can beused to determine the location of the electronic device.

In one embodiment, the mobile communication device 12 may use both a GPSreceiver and cell tower triangulation to determine its position. Forexample, the device may first attempt to obtain a signal fix from atleast three GPS satellites 50. If it is unable to do so due to blockedor otherwise unavailable satellite signals, it reverts to cell towertriangulation until satellite signals are received again. This allowsthe device 12 to be used inside buildings and other places where GPSdevices do not always work.

In other embodiments, the location-determining component 34 need notdirectly determine the current location of the device. For instance, thelocation-determining component may determine the current geographiclocation through a communications network, such as by using Assisted GPS(A-GPS), or from another electronic device. The location-determiningcomponent 34 may even receive location data directly from theinvestigator or other user.

The display 36 is operable to display various information correspondingto the device and may comprise conventional black and white, monochrome,or color display elements including, but not limited to, Liquid CrystalDisplay (LCD), Thin Film Transistor (TFT) LCD, Polymer Light EmittingDiode (PLED), Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) and/or plasma displaydevices. Preferably, the display is of sufficient size to enable theuser to easily view it while outdoors. In one particular embodiment, thedisplay is a 2.8-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with VGAresolution. The display 36 may be integrated with the user interface 40,such as in embodiments where the display is a touch-screen display toenable the user to interact with it by touching or pointing at displayareas to provide information to the device.

The memory 38 may be integral with the location-determining component34, integral with the computing device 26, stand-alone memory, or acombination of both. The memory may include, for example, removable andnon-removable memory elements such as RAM, ROM, Flash, magnetic,optical, USB memory devices, and/or other conventional memory elements.

The memory 38 may store various data associated with operation of thedevice 12, such as the computer program and code segments mentionedabove, or other data for instructing the computing device and otherdevice elements to perform the steps described herein. The memory mayalso be used to store data or signals representative of voices andsounds detected by the microphone 28 and the location data obtained bythe location-determining component 34. This data may be stored as aback-up to the data transmitted to the computers 14, 16 or may serve asthe primary storage when then mobile communication device cannotcommunicate with the computers. Further, the memory may store variouscartographic data corresponding to geographic locations including mapdata, and map elements, such as terrain, alert locations, points ofinterest, geographic entities, and other navigation data to facilitatethe various navigation functions provided by the device. Additionally,the memory may store destination addresses and previously calculated orotherwise acquired routes to various destination addresses for laterretrieval by the computing device.

To implement functions and features of the present invention, the memory38 or some other memory accessible by the computing device 26 may alsostore cartographic information for roads, buildings, or otherstructures. The cartographic information may be pre-loaded in the memoryor other memory or may be downloaded to the device via the communicationcomponent 32 or I/O ports 44. For example, cartographic information fora particular road or set of roads may be downloaded to the device basedon a current location of the device as determined by thelocation-determining component.

The various data stored within the memory may be associated within oneor more databases to facilitate retrieval of the information. Forexample, the databases may be configured to enable the computing deviceto automatically access the cartographic information based upon acurrent geographic location of the device.

A map-matching search engine, preferably comprised of software, firmwareor the like executed by the computing device 26, may search through thedatabase of cartographic information to find known locations which matcha series of geographical coordinates. A user may initiate a search orthe search engine may automatically search the database based on a stateof the device such as the current position of the device. The searchengine, or alternatively a separate computation engine (also preferablycomprised of software, firmware or the like executed by the computingdevice), may also perform calculations related to the cartographicinformation. The map mapping search engine may also identify a maplocation.

The user interface 40 permits a user to operate the device and isgenerally associated with the housing, such as by physical connectionthrough wires, etc, or wirelessly utilizing conventional variouswireless protocols. However, the user interface need not be physicallycoupled with the housing. In one embodiment of the device, the userinterface includes a slide-out five-row QWERTY keyboard.

The user interface 40 may also comprise one or more functionable inputssuch as buttons, switches, scroll wheels, a touch screen associated withthe display, voice recognition elements such as a microphone, pointingdevices such as mice, touchpads, trackballs, styluses, a camera such asa digital or film still or video camera, combinations thereof, etc.Further, the user interface may comprise wired or wireless data transferelements such as removable memory including the memory, datatransceivers, etc, to enable the user and other devices or parties toremotely interface with the device.

The user interface 40 may be operable to provide various information tothe user utilizing the display or other visual or audio elements such asthe speaker 30. Thus, the user interface enables the user and device toexchange information relating to the device, including geographicentities, configuration information, security information, preferences,route information, points of interests, alerts and alert notification,navigation information, waypoints, a destination address, etc.

The power source 42 provides electrical power to the other components ofthe device and may comprise conventional power supply elements, such asbatteries, battery packs, etc. The power source may also comprise powerconduits, connectors, and receptacles operable to receive batteries,battery connectors, or power cables. For example, the power source mayinclude both a battery to enable portable operation and a power inputfor receiving power from an external source such an automobile. In oneembodiment, the power source is a rechargeable lithium-ion orlithium-ion polymer battery with a capacity of 1340 MAh.

The I/O ports 44 permit data and other information to be transferred toand from the computing device 26 and the location-determining component34. The I/O ports 44 may include a Secure Disk Digital (SD) card slot,Mini SD Card slot, Micro SD Card slot or the like for receivingremovable SD cards, Mini SD Cards, Micro SD Cards, or the like, and aUSB port for coupling with a USB cable connected to another computingdevice such as a personal computer. Navigational software, cartographicmaps and other data and information may be loaded in the device via theI/O ports or the communications component.

To preserve battery life, the satellite navigation receiver or otherlocation-determining component 34 may be switched off periodically. Forexample, the receiver may be alternatively switched on for 30 seconds,off for two minutes, then back on for 30 seconds. If thelocation-determining component determines the electronic device ismoving, it may be switched on more frequently. Alternatively, thelocation-determining component may be turned on whenever the deviceenters or leaves a particular geographic area or perimeter such as ageofence.

The vibration element 46 may be any device capable of vibrating thedevice or a portion thereof. In one embodiment, the vibration elementconsists of a miniature motor with an offset weighted shaft.

The device's housing may be handheld or otherwise portable to facilitateeasy transport of the device. The housing is preferably constructed froma suitable lightweight and impact-resistant material such as, forexample, plastic, nylon, aluminum, or any combination thereof and mayinclude one or more appropriate gaskets or seals to make itsubstantially waterproof or resistant. The housing may take any suitableshape for size, and the particular size, weight and configuration of thehousing may be changed without departing from the scope of the presentinvention.

The portable computers 14, 16 may be laptop computers, personalcomputers, PDAs, smart phones, or any other devices capable ofperforming the functions described herein and are operated bysurveillance team members or support personnel as discussed in moredetail below. As used herein, “support team” is meant to encompass anyperson or groups of persons who may be assisting the investigator in anintelligence gathering mission. The portable computers 14, 16 areequipped with cellular communication components or other devices thatenable them to transmit and receive voice and data via the wirelessnetwork 22 and/or communications network 24 and may also includelocation-determining components and associated software similar to thecomponents and software in the mobile communication device.

The host computers 18, 20 may serve as repositories for data andprograms used to implement certain aspects of the present invention. Thehost computers may be any computing devices such as network or servercomputers and may be connected to a firewall to prevent tampering withinformation stored on or accessible by the computers. The functionalityof the host computers may also be distributed amongst many differentcomputers in a cloud computing environment.

The host computers 18, 20 may operate or host a private, secure websiteaccessible only by authorized support team members and investigators.The host computers may include conventional web hosting operatingsoftware, an Internet connection such as a cable connection, satelliteconnection, DSL converter, or ISDN converter, and are assigned a URL andcorresponding domain name so that the information hosted thereon can beaccessed via the communication network in a conventional manner. Thehost computers may also host and support software and services ofproprietary mobile application providers such as Google, Apple, andBlackberry.

Although two host computers 18, 20 are described and illustrated herein,embodiments of the invention may use any combination of host computersand/or other computers or equipment. For example, the features andservices described herein may be divided between the host computers ormay all be implemented with only one of the host computers.

The equipment 10 may also include a data interchange format device fordistinguishing the types of devices (e.g. mobile phone, desktopcomputer) that attempt to access the host computers 18, 20 and forrouting communications and requests to the host computers accordingly.

The wireless network 22 may be any communications network that permitswireless communications between the mobile communication device 22, theportable computers 14, 16, and other similar devices. In one embodiment,the wireless network is a cellular phone network such as those operatedby Sprint®, AT&T®, Verizon®, and other companies. The cellular phonenetwork may operate with GSM (Global System for Mobile communications),CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), or any other known standards.

The communications network 24 is preferably the Internet but may be anyother communications network such as a local area network, a wide areanetwork, a wireless network, or an intranet. The communications networkmay also be a combination of several networks.

The computer programs of the present invention are stored in or oncomputer-readable medium residing on or accessible by the mobilecommunication device 12, the portable computers 14, 16, and/or the hostcomputers 18, 20 and preferably comprise ordered listings of executableinstructions for implementing logical functions in the devices. Thecomputer programs can be embodied in any computer-readable medium foruse by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus,or device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system,or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device, and execute the instructions. Inthe context of this application, a “computer-readable medium” can be anymeans that can contain, store, communicate, propagate or transport theprogram for use by or in connection with the instruction executionsystem, apparatus, or device. The computer-readable medium can be, forexample, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical,electro-magnetic, infrared, or semi-conductor system, apparatus, device,or propagation medium. More specific, although not inclusive, examplesof the computer-readable medium would include the following: anelectrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computerdiskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), anerasable, programmable, read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), anoptical fiber, and a portable compact disk read-only memory (CDROM).

The above-described equipment 10 may be used in covert intelligencegathering missions to monitor and record a suspect or other person ofinterest and track the person's locations. Specifically, the mobilecommunications device 12 may be used by an investigator, one or more ofthe portable computes 14, 16 may be used by support team members, andthe host computer 18, 20 may be accessed by the investigator, supportteam members, or any other authorized persons. In accordance with oneimportant aspect of the present invention, the mobile communicationdevice includes a stealth mode in which its display may be turned off orotherwise deactivated to make the entire device appear to be turned offwhile its microphone continues to detect sounds and its communicationcomponent continues to transmit signals or data representative of thesounds to one of the portable computers. If the investigator or anyoneelse attempts to turn the mobile communication device off while it is inthe stealth mode, the display presents screen graphics that suggest thedevice is being turned off but the components of the device necessary togather and transmit intelligence data continue to run. This allows aninvestigator and support team to secretly record a person even thoughthe mobile communication device is in plain view because the deviceappears to be turned off. While in the stealth mode, the device may beused to make or receive phone calls, in which case the display will beturned on, so that no one but the investigator and others participatingin the investigation will know the mobile communication device is in thestealth mode or that the stealth mode even exists.

The mobile communication device 12 can only be placed in the stealthmode after the investigator enters valid user information into thedevice and an authorized member of the support team enters validacknowledgment information into one of the computers 14, 16 andtransmits it to the mobile communication device. Likewise, the stealthmode can only be cancelled after the investigator enters valid userinformation and a member of the support team enters and transmits to thedevice valid acknowledgment information. This permits the mobilecommunication device to be used as a conventional mobile phone while notin the stealth mode and ensures that the person being monitored cannotdisable the stealth mode.

The mobile communication device 12 may also transmit data representativeof its locations to the portable computers 14, 16 along with the voicesignals or data. The transmitted location data may be cross-hatched orotherwise transmitted to the computers with the original satellite datato enable the data to be cross-referenced for authenticity purposes.

The mobile communication device 12 may be configured to simultaneouslytransmit both voice data and location data, just voice data, or justlocation data. In one embodiment, both the investigator and the supportteam must provide authorization if only voice data or only location datais to be transmitted. The computers 14, 16 may be programmed to map thelocation of the mobile communication device and provide directions tothe mobile communication device in case the support team needs toquickly go to the investigator.

While in the stealth mode, the mobile communication device 12 preferablytransmits the voice data or signals and the location data using TCP/IPdata channels rather than the wireless network's voice channels. Thisallows the transmissions to be more easily encrypted. Importantly, themobile communication device transmits the voice data or signals inreal-time so the support team may monitor the investigator's andsuspect's conversations and other sounds as they occur. This enables thesupport team to immediately respond or otherwise react to any distresssignals.

One or more of the portable computers 14, 16 may be programmed towirelessly transmit a gain control instruction to the mobilecommunication device 12, and the mobile communication device may beprogrammed to adjust a gain setting of its microphone in responsethereto. This permits a surveillance team to monitor the recording of asuspect's conversations and other sounds and to adjust the mobilecommunication device's microphone gain to compensate for backgroundnoises, the distance between the investigator and the suspect, thesuspect's voice level, and/or other factors.

One of the portable computers 14, 16 may also be programmed towirelessly transmit an alert signal to the mobile communication device12 that activates the device's vibration element. The mobilecommunication device may be programmed to vibrate once in response to analert signal that is sent when the support team believes theinvestigator is in immediate danger, twice in response to a differentalert signal that is sent when the support team believes theintelligence gathering mission should be aborted, and three or moretimes in response to other alert signals.

The mobile communication device may also include resident memory forstoring the signals or data representative of the detected sounds andthe location data. This permits gathered intelligence data to be storedlocally on the mobile communication device and forwarded to the portablecomputers at a later time.

The mobile communication device 12 may also be programmed to receive andstore geographic coordinates corresponding to a geofence or otherboundary and to wirelessly transmit an alert to one of the portablecomputers 14, 16 whenever the device enters or exits an area encompassedby the geofence. Similarly, the mobile communication device may beprogrammed to automatically switch to the stealth mode whenever thedevice enters or exits the area encompassed by the geofence.

After an intelligence gathering session has been completed, all voiceand location data gathered by the mobile communication device 12 andportable computers 14, 16 is uploaded to the server computers 18, 20 viathe communication network 24. The servers may then generate a reportthat contains an audio file of all recorded communications and othersounds, a location tracking file that contains geographical coordinatesfor the mobile communication device during the intelligence session, theinvestigator's identification information, the exact log-in and log-outtimes for the stealth mode, and electronic signatures of theinvestigator and one or more members of the support team. Authorizedpersons may then request copies of the report in electronic form orother form. The reports may be used for any permitted purposes includingas evidence in investigations, trials, and/or other proceedings.

The flow chart of FIG. 3 shows the functionality and operation of apreferred implementation of the present invention in more detail. Someof the blocks of the flow chart may represent a module segment orportion of code of the computer programs of the present invention whichcomprises one or more executable instructions for implementing thespecified logical function or functions. In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the various blocks may occur outof the order depicted in FIG. 3. For example, two blocks shown insuccession in FIG. 3 may in fact be executed substantially concurrently,or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order dependingupon the functionality involved.

As discussed above, the mobile communication device 12 may be used by aninvestigator and the personal computers 14, 16 may be used by members ofa surveillance or support team working with the investigator. When theinvestigator and support team are ready to begin an intelligencegathering operation, the investigator first initiates the “stealth” modeon the mobile communication device as depicted in step 302.

To initiate the stealth mode, the investigator may be required to entervalid user information such as an identification number, aninvestigation case number, a password, etc. The investigator may also beprompted to acknowledge at least one party (the investigator) consentsto recording of conversations in compliance with federal law.

In some embodiments, initiation of the stealth mode also requires theauthorization of the support team as depicted in step 304. For example,the support team may be required to establish communications between oneof the computers 14, 16 and the mobile communication device 12 via thewireless network and/or the communication network and then enterrequired identification information such as an identification number, aninvestigation case number, a password, etc. Once this information isentered into one of the portable computers, a notification is sent tothe mobile communication device to let the investigator know the supportteam is “in place” and ready to provide necessary support as depicted instep 306.

Initiation of the stealth mode may finally require the investigator toacknowledge or otherwise respond to the notification sent by the supportteam as depicted in step 308. Sending the acknowledgment may thenautomatically switch the mobile communication device to the stealth modeas depicted in step 310 so that the investigator and support team maybegin to covertly detect and record voices of the investigator and aperson being monitored.

While in the stealth mode, the mobile communication device 12 recordsvoices and other sounds and secretly transmits signals or datarepresentative of the detected sounds to at least one of the computers14, 16 via the wireless network 22 as depicted in steps 312 and 314. Themobile communication device also receives signals from the satellites,determines its current location, and transmits signals or datarepresentative of its current location to at least one of the computersso the support team may track the location of the investigator.

In one embodiment, the mobile communication device remains in thestealth mode until both the investigator and the support team requesttermination of the mode. The investigator may request termination of thestealth mode by entering valid user information such as anidentification number, an investigation case number, a password, etc. asdepicted in step 316. If the investigator enters incorrect information,the mobile communication device either remains in the stealth mode ormay send an alert message to the support team. For example, in oneembodiment, the investigator may indicate that he or she requiresimmediate back-up by entering a particular alert code and/or anelectronic signature. This prompts the mobile communication device tosend an alert message to the support team in accordance with the enteredalert code. The mobile communication device may include multiple alertcodes for different scenarios. For example, one alert code may requestimmediate back-up for an emergency situation whereas another alert codemay simply indicate that the monitored person has left the scene but maybe returning.

After the support team receives the investigator's request to terminatethe stealth mode and verifies that no further intelligence gathering isrequired, the support team deactivates the stealth mode as depicted insteps 318, 320, and 324. If the support team determines the investigatordid not properly terminate the stealth mode, the team may assume themobile communication device is being operated by someone other than theinvestigator and/or that the investigator has signaled for help asdepicted in step 322.

During or after an intelligence gathering session, the support teammembers and/or other authorized persons may monitor the voicecommunications and location information transmitted by the mobilecommunication device. This may be done by directly establishing acommunication link to the mobile communication device through thewireless network or by accessing voice data and location data uploadedto one of the servers 18, 20.

After an intelligence gathering session has been completed, all voiceand location data gathered by the portable computers 14, 16 is uploadedto the server computers 18, via the communication network 24 as depictedin step 326. The servers may then generate a report that contains anaudio file of all recorded communications and other sounds, a locationtracking file that contains geographical coordinates for the mobilecommunication device during the intelligence session, the investigator'sidentification information, the exact log-in and log-out times for thestealth mode, and electronic signatures of the investigator and one ormore members of the support team. Authorized persons may then requestcopies of the report in electronic form or other form. The reports maybe used for any permitted purposes including as evidence ininvestigations, trials, and/or other proceedings.

The flow chart of FIG. 4 shows the functionality and operation ofanother preferred implementation of the present invention in moredetail. As mentioned above, some of the blocks of the flow chart mayrepresent a module segment or portion of code of the computer programsof the present invention which comprises one or more executableinstructions for implementing the specified logical function orfunctions. In some alternative implementations, the functions noted inthe various blocks may occur out of the order depicted in FIG. 4.

Steps 402 through 414 are substantially identical to steps 302 through314 of FIG. 3. In step 416, a support team member operating one of theportable computers monitors the voices and other sounds transmitted bythe mobile communication device 12. If the recorded voices are too lowor otherwise difficult to understand, the support team member mayinstruct the portable computer to send a gain control instruction to themobile communication device to increase the gain of the device'smicrophone as depicted in step 418. Likewise, if the detected voices aretoo loud or difficult to interpret because of too much background noise,the support team member may instruct the portable computer to send again control instruction to the mobile communication device to decreasethe gain of the mobile communication device's microphone. Otheroperating characteristics of the mobile communication device may also bemonitored and adjusted in this manner. For example, one of the portablecomputers may receive data from the mobile communication devicerepresentative of the mobile communication device's battery level,signal reception strength, and memory capacity and then permit a supportteam member to adjust operating characteristics of the mobilecommunication device and/or alert the investigator.

Although the invention has been described with reference to thepreferred embodiment illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it isnoted that equivalents may be employed and substitutions made hereinwithout departing from the scope of the invention as recited in theclaims.

Having thus described the preferred embodiment of the invention, what isclaimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includesthe following:
 1. An intelligence gathering device comprising: amicrophone for detecting sounds; a communication component fortransmitting signals or data representative of the sounds to a computervia a wireless communication network; a display for displayinginformation related to operation of the device; a computing deviceoperatively coupled with the microphone, the communication component,and the display; and a computer program stored on computer-readablemedium accessible by the computing device, the computer programincluding a code segment to place the device in a stealth mode in whichthe display is operable to be turned off or deactivated, in response toreceiving commands that would turn the intelligence gathering device offcompletely when not in the stealth mode, while the microphone continuesto detect sounds and the communication component continues to transmitsignals or data representative of the sounds to the computer.
 2. Theintelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 1, the computerprogram further including a code segment to wirelessly receive a gaincontrol instruction from the computer and to adjust a gain setting ofthe microphone in accordance therewith.
 3. The intelligence gatheringdevice as set forth in claim 1, further including a vibration elementfor vibrating the device.
 4. The intelligence gathering device as setforth in claim 3, the computer program including a code segment towirelessly receive an alert from the computer and to operate thevibration element in response thereto.
 5. The intelligence gatheringdevice as set forth in claim 1, further including resident memory forstoring the signals or data representative of the detected sounds. 6.The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 1, the computingdevice and the computer program being operable to place the device inthe stealth mode only after a user of the device enters valid userinformation and an operator of the computer enters and transmits to thedevice valid acknowledgment information.
 7. The intelligence gatheringdevice as set forth in claim 1, the computing device and the computerprogram being further operable to discontinue the stealth mode onlyafter a user of the device enters valid user information and an operatorof the computer enters and transmits to the device valid acknowledgmentinformation.
 8. The intelligence gathering device as set forth in claim1, further including a location-determining component for determining ageographic location of the device.
 9. The intelligence gathering deviceas set forth in claim 8, the computer program including a code segmentto transmit data representative of the geographic location of the deviceto the computer while the device is in the stealth mode.
 10. Theintelligence gathering device as set forth in claim 8, the computingdevice and the computer program being further operable to receive andstore geographic coordinates corresponding to a geofence and towirelessly transmit an alert to the computer whenever the device entersor exits an area encompassed by the geofence.
 11. The intelligencegathering device as set forth in claim 10, the computing device and thecomputer program being further operable to place the device in thestealth mode whenever the device enters or exits the area encompassed bythe geofence.
 12. A computer program stored on a physical,non-transitory computer-readable medium of a mobile communicationdevice, the mobile communication device having a microphone, acommunication component, a display, and a computing device, the computerprogram comprising a code segment or segments to place the mobilecommunication device in a stealth mode in which the display is turnedoff or otherwise deactivated, in response to receiving commands thatwould turn the intelligence gathering device off completely when not inthe stealth mode, while the microphone continues to detect sounds andthe communication component continues to transmit signals or datarepresentative of the sounds to a computer via a wireless network. 13.The computer program as set forth in claim 12, further comprising a codesegment to wirelessly receive a gain control instruction from thecomputer and a code segment to adjust a gain setting of the microphonein accordance with the gain control instruction.
 14. The computerprogram as set forth in claim 12, further comprising a code segment towirelessly receive an alert from the computer and a code segment tooperate a vibration element in the mobile communication device inresponse thereto.
 15. The computer program as set forth in claim 12,wherein the code segment for placing the mobile communication device inthe stealth mode requires entry of valid user information in the mobilecommunication device and entry of valid acknowledgment information inthe computer.
 16. The computer program as set forth in claim 12, furthercomprising a code segment to discontinue the stealth mode only after auser of the mobile communication device enters valid user informationand an operator of the computer enters and transmits to the mobilecommunication device valid acknowledgment information.
 17. The computerprogram as set forth in claim 12, further comprising a code segment totransmit data representative of a geographic location of the mobilecommunication device to the computer while the mobile communicationdevice is in the stealth mode.
 18. The computer program as set forth inclaim 12, further including a code segment to access geographiccoordinates corresponding to a geofence and to wirelessly transmit analert to the computer whenever the mobile communication device enters orexits an area encompassed by the geofence.
 19. The computer program asset forth in claim 18, further comprising a code segment to place themobile communication device in the stealth mode whenever the deviceenters or exits the area encompassed by the geofence.
 20. A system forgathering intelligence data, the system comprising: a mobilecommunication device comprising— a microphone for detecting sounds; acommunication component for wirelessly transmitting signals or datarepresentative of the sounds via a wireless communication network; adisplay for displaying information related to operation of the mobilecommunication device; a computing device operatively coupled with themicrophone, the communication component, and the display; and a computerprogram stored on computer-readable medium accessible by the computingdevice, the computer program operable to place the mobile communicationdevice in a stealth mode in which the display is turned off or otherwisedeactivated, in response to receiving commands that would turn theintelligence gathering device off completely when not in the stealthmode, while the microphone continues to detect sounds and thecommunication component continues to transmit signals or datarepresentative of the sounds; and a computer for wirelessly receivingthe signals or data representative of the sounds from the mobilecommunication device.
 21. The system as set forth in claim 20, thecomputer being operable to wirelessly transmit a gain controlinstruction to the mobile communication device and the mobilecommunication device being operable to adjust a gain setting of themicrophone in response to the gain control instruction.
 22. The systemas set forth in claim 20, the mobile communication device furtherincluding a vibration element.
 23. The system as set forth in claim 22,the computer being further operable to wirelessly transmit an alert tothe mobile communication device and the mobile communication devicebeing operable to operate the vibration element in response thereto. 24.The system as set forth in claim 20, the mobile communication devicefurther including a location-determining component for determining ageographic location of the device.
 25. The system as set forth in claim24, the mobile communication device being operable to transmit datarepresentative of the geographic location of the device to the computerwhile the device is in the stealth mode.